This student organization is open to all MUP students. The Association plans student events to learn about planning, and just to have fun! The Association of Student Planners is a student organization run by the students. Membership in the student organization entitles you to receive a monthly journal and they provide guest speakers for the university community and coordinate travel to state and national conferences.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and Fees are calculated for one full academic year (Fall and Spring semesters), and include tuition rates + College of Architecture graduate fees and most other fees. The MUP program is very affordable compared to other schools that offer planning degrees. For a typical semester of 12 credit hours.

In-State Residents: $5,932.26

Out–of-State students: $11,192.43

For a complete list of student fees and per-credit-hour breakdown of tuition rates, please refer to the University’s Tuition and Fees website:

This estimate does not include variable fees such as course-related educational enhancement, equipment access, lab, or field trip fees; housing, meal plans, or parking fees; property deposit fees; international student fees, orientation fees; or distance education differential tuition and fees.

Financing Education

Your education is an investment of your time and money. At this time in your life it is probably the largest investment you will make. Many students join the MUP program with offers of financial aid, such as scholarships, fellowships and assistantships. The University’s Department of Student Financial Aidoffers information regarding applying for financial aid, finding a job on or off campus, managing your finances, and other resources designed to help you achieve your goal of attaining a graduate degree.

Urban Planning Career Information

Planners work in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Planners in the public sector work for cities, states, regional governments, and federal offices. In smaller organizations one planner may be involved in transportation, housing, land use, design, and economic development planning. In larger organizations planners may specialize in one or two areas.

Planners in the private sector work for consulting firms, real estate developers, architecture and engineering firms, utility companies and law firms. Their work may be specialized, such as negotiating easements for utilities, or more general, such as preparing comprehensive plans for cities.

Planners also work for non-profits. Organizations that assist with low-income housing, issues related to senior citizens, and that write grants for small cities all need planners.

Planners may work for a variety of organizations throughout their careers. Planning jobs are available in large and small towns, in dense urban areas and in rural areas for groups such as the Native American tribal offices. For information about careers in planning see related links below.

Achievements of Our Graduates

Graduates of the Texas A&M Master of Urban Planning (MUP) program have gone on to careers all over the country and at all levels of government and the private sector. Approximately one-half of MUP graduates work as local government planners. They work as Planning Directors (Emil Moncivais class of 1971) city managers (Joseph Dunn class of 1994) as well as general planners.

About one-quarter of MUP graduates work as planners in state and federal agencies. Our most notable graduate in this area is former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros, class of 1970. Others pursue political careers; San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza is one example.

Another one-quarter of MUP graduates go on to work in the private sector. They may work for developers, such as Katie Blanchard class of 2004 who is working on redevelopment of the old Astrodome site in Houston; architecture engineering and/or planning consultants, such as Gary Mitchell, (FAICP, class of 1988); or a wide variety of other private employment including retail siting, cellular antenna approvals, and real estate appraisal.

MUP graduates have also gone on to distinguish themselves in the planning profession itself. Emil Moncivais (class of 1971) and Gary Mitchell (class of 1988) are fellows in the American Institute of Certified Planners. This is the highest honor awarded by the professional planning organization.